Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited or TSECL has cut its power supply to Bangladesh due to rising unpaid bills. Originally, under a revised trade agreement, Bangladesh was supposed to receive 160 megawatts of power from Tripura. However, Tripura is currently supplying only 90 to 110 megawatts as Bangladesh’s outstanding payments have exceeded Rs 150 crore.
Tripura Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath clarified that power trading with Bangladesh has not been completely halted. He said, “We haven’t stopped power trading with Bangladesh. Despite some issues, our power generation remains stable. From Rukhia power plant, we are getting 100 per cent power. From Baramura, we get 75 per cent of its capacity. From Gomati, we get 100 per cent. From Manarchak plant, we get 100 per cent. From Palatana, we only get 27 per cent. So there is no problem with power generation. For now, we are supplying 90 megawatts to Bangladesh. If our power plants fail to generate enough power, we might have to reconsider the power trading agreement.”
TSECL Managing Director Debasish Sarkar explained that power is sold to Bangladesh through NVVN, the trading wing of NTPC. He said, “We bill NVVN, which then bills Bangladesh. We have over Rs 150 crore outstanding with Bangladesh. We have been regularly monitoring the issue and raising queries with NVVN to clear the outstanding amount. We understand that Bangladesh is facing financial issues, which is why they are unable to pay bills on time. Since this is international trade, we are continuing the supply.”
Sarkar also pointed out challenges during peak periods, especially in summer, when TSECL has to purchase power from the exchange at high costs of Rs 10 to 12 per unit to meet domestic demands. “If we don’t get paid, it wouldn’t be wise to continue supplying power. The corporation’s cash flow gets severely impacted. This is why we have reduced power supply to ensure that our local consumption doesn’t suffer,” he added.
